Vertical slat blind



June 4, 1957 A. J. TOT! VERTICAL SLAT BLIND Filed Feb. 7 14, 1956INVENTOR. ANDREW J. 7077 2,794,502v vERrIc'AL sear BLIND Andrew J. Toti,Modesto, Calif.

Application February 14, 1956, SerialN 565,328

4 Claims. (Cl; 169-1272) This invention relates to Venetian typeblindsin which the slats hang vertically from their upperends, each from acarrier slidable along a fixed overhead-track and pivotally suspendedfrom the carrier so as to be turnable about a vertical axis to modify orshut oil the light passing between the slats, and' also to be bodilymovable tov stack all of the slats against onevertical edge'of a windowor door opening or half of them against opposite edges of the window ordoor.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, andpositive control of the slats, and one in which the slats will stackclosely when pulled to the edge of the Window. Other advantages of theinvention will appear in the following description and accompanyingdrawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat enlarged perspective view looking slightly downwardat one carrier with its slat hanging therefrom and a short section ofthe square control rod or shaft dotted in position, and also showing oneof the sheet metal (or other stiff sheet material) tongues which engagesthe tongue of the next carrier to limit the maximum spacing of the slatswhen open.

2 is a straight side elevation of the structure of 3 is a straight frontelevation of the structure of Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 2 andshowing in dotted lines the position of the next carrier when theirspacing tongues are hooked together in operative position.

Fig. 5 is a detached view of one of the small slat-suspending pivot-pinwith its crank formed on its upper end.

Fig. 6 is a cross section of the fixed overhead blind supporting casingand slotted track along and within which casing the carriers all slide.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan showing one of the usual arrangements ofthe control cords for opening a wide blind from the center towardopposite ends of the track.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the slat turning rockers.

Before describing the structure in detail, it may give a clearerunderstanding to explain that the series of carriers 1 are slidablysupported within a hollow overhead fixed casing 2 to move along thereinwith their small slat suspending pivot pins 3 projecting verticallydownward through a slot formed in the bottom of the casing preferablydefined by two spaced beaded edges 4.

The casing is secured to any overhead part of a window or door framingas by a suitable attaching plate or bracket 5 and screws 6, as may berequired by the particular building construction.

Passing freely through all the carriers in a substantial- 1y squareshaft 7 when turned from one end about a quarter turn either way effectsthe turning of a small crank 8 formed at the upper end of each verticalslat suspending pivot-pin 3 and from the lower end 9 of which the slat10 is tightly gripped and susp Wlthout freedom of independent turning.

nited States Patent 'ice The means whereby the turning of the overheadshaft turns the slats is the principal feature of the present invention,and comprises several details. The shaft revolves or rather rocks freelyin round holes 11 in the carriers, and to keep the square shaft fromcutting the edges of the holes the four corners of the shaft are wellrounded oif and the sheet-metal ofwhich the carriers are made in quitethick and is doubled over at 12 to present two support-s'for theshafton'each carrier, and also spaced toprovide between the doubled, overportions enough room for the flat shank 13"of a small basket-like curvedrocker member 14- to operate freely; The shank 13 is provided withasquare'hole' IS-through which the shaft is freely slidable but cannotturn therein so that'when the shaft is rocked it'rooks allof therockers; (The square shaft could be replaced: bya round splined shaftengaged by" eachshank as understood by any mechanic.)

The body of the rocker 14 is a curved shell with its curve struck fromthe center of the shaft and projecting at right angles to the shank13",- and is provided with two preferably slightly curvedslots 16extending from the outer edge at the bottom center of the shell inwardlyand upwardly toward opposite ends of the shell respectively. This slotengages the flattened upper end 8 of the crank of the slat suspensionpivot-pin 3 as indicated in Figs. 4 and 3 and holds it central with slatin open position or extending at right angles to the track as shown inFig. 1 when the shaft 7 is turned with upper and lower flat sides levelas shown in the drawings.

When the shaft 7 is turned either way from this position it will swingthe curved rocker and force the crank 8 in the slot to turnsubstantially at right angles, and of course its slat will thereby bepositively turned also, and all slats will be locked in any position towhich they are so turned.

To limit the separation of the slat carriers, each is pro vided on onevertical edge with interlocking spacing tongues 17. These tongues arepreferably made of thin sheet metal (though they may be of plastic) andthey are secured at one end as at 18 to the turned over vertical sideedge of the carrier, and at the opposite end are formed with an ofisethooked end 19 with a reduced size neck 20 adapted to engage through aslot 21 of the tongues of the next carrier, as indicated in Fig. 4 wherethe said next carrier is shown dotted at 1. Such carrier spacing tonguesare shown in my co-pending patent application filed under Serial No.428,578, May 10, 1954, but are not shown positioned vertically oneagainst the other as disclosed here, and in which position they operatemore smoothly on carriers which are relatively high from their slidingbase and might tend to bind otherwise, as in the present constructionshown.

Vertical slat Venetian blinds made in accordance with this disclosurewill stack the slats much closer than any practicable positivelyoperated slats with which I am familiar, and cannot flutterv in a draftof air when open or partially so. They may be installed with pull cordoperation in the conventional way, as indicated in Fig. 7 to pull toboth sides from the center, or only to one side as well understood inthe art. Fig. 7 is diagrammatic to show the hook-up and only indicatessix carriers each side of the center, the pull cord 22, its extreme endpulley 23, end bearings 24 for shaft round ends 7 (if desired).

Having thus described my improved vertical slat blind, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a vertical slat blind of the character described,means suspending the slats from their upper ends comprising ahorizontally disposed fixed tubular overhead casing having alongitudinally extending slot on its underside, a series of carriers,one for each slat supported within and by the casing for slidingtherealong,

3 a vertical slat pivot-pin rotatably supported by each carrier andextending downward freely through said slot, and each pivot-pin providedwith means at its lower end for attaching a slat, and a crank at itsupper end, said carfriers each provided with an upwardly extendingportion, a rock shaft extending longitudinally of and within the casingrevolvably and slidably' passing through a hole in said upwardlyextending portion of all of the carriers, and a small rocker deviceassociated with each carrier provided with an upwardly extending loop,engaging said rock shaft for rocking therewith while freely slidabletherealong, said rocker device includinga curved shell portion at thelower end of said loop extending transversely of the rock shaft andprovided with means engaging the crank of said slat pivot-pin arrangedto turn the crank as the rocker device is rocked by rocking the rockshaft.

2. In the construction set out in claim 1 said carriers allinterconnected by slidably engaged tongues to limit the separation ofthe carriers, 'said tongues being of thin flat sheet material extendinglengthwise of the casing and vertically on edge and secured at one endto a side of a carrier so that they overlap laterally when the carriersare moved close together.

3. In the construction set out in claim 1 said rocker member having ashell portion curved from the axis of the rock shaft and formed with anangular slot through the curved shell portion engaging the crank andpositively guide it and hold it at all points of turning.

4. In a structure as set out in claim 1 said rocker member having anupwardly extending shank with a hole in its upper end slidably butturnably engaging said rock shaft, and a lower laterally extending shellcurved upwardly both ways transversely of and below the rock shaft, andsaid shell provided with a slot with two branches meeting at the lowercenter of the shell and curving back toward said shank and upwardly topoints substantially at right angles to their lower central meetingpoint.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

